1,000 Books!? Here's how:

Sign up at the front desk to participate in this new (and free) reading rewards program for children who have not yet started kindergarten!

The concept is simple, the rewards are priceless. Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, and/or toddler. The goal is to have read 1,000 books (yes, you can repeat books) before your child starts kindergarten.

Does it sound hard? Not really if you think about it. If you read just 1 book a night, you will have read 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think!

To make it fun for your child, he/she will receive a prize after each 100 books they read. That makes a total of 10 prizes! When they finish the program, their final prize is a book! They will also be on the “Wall of Fame” displayed in the library.

Here’s how to participate:

Register: Sign up at the front desk. There you will receive more information and the materials you will need to get started, including your child’s first reading log.

Start reading: Read any book and record the title on the reading log you receive when you sign up (or on any sheet of paper). You can also download the “1000 Books before Kindergarten” app to record your titles there. Even if your child wants to hear the same book again and again, you can count it each time. You can also count the books your child hears in story hour/time, in daycare or preschool, or with a friend or family member, as long as your child listens to the entire book. *If your child attends story hour at the Archbold Community Library, you can count write “SH” for 3 spaces on your child’s reading log each time they attend a class (that is how many books they will hear during one story hour class).

Bring your reading log to the library at each 100 milestone: After you have read 100 books with your child, bring your reading log in. You will then receive your next reading log for the next 100 books you will read and your milestone prize. Your child will also put their name on the “1,000 Books before Kindergarten Wall of Fame” that is displayed in the library.